Method of heating wagon-tires.



PATENTED SEPT. 1'7, 1907.

0D 0F HEATING WAGON TIRES. APPLIOATION FILED A'1 B.29.1901.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV A. AIGHER AND FRANK J. DEMARTINL OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF HEATING WAGON-TIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed April 29,1907. Serial No. 370,880-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GUSTAV A. AICi-IER and FRANK .T. DEMARTINI, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of Cali fornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Heating Wagon-Tires, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a method of heating wagon wheel tires so that they can be properly set and shrunk onto the wheel rim.

Heretofore it has been a matter of considerable time and labor to properly heat a tire all around equally so that it can be set and shrunk on to the wheel rim. The old fashion way was tobuild fire all around the rim. Furnaces and forges have been used to heat the tire, but the result has been unsatisfactory, by reason among other things of taking so long to get the tire heated to the proper temperature. The only furnaces for this purpose that we knew of before our invention took about three hours to heat up a tire. With our method, we can heat several tires in not to exceed eleven minutes.

The invention consists of the method which we will hereinafter describe and claim, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a furnace suitable for carrying out our method. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same.

In carrying out our invention we construct a furnace A having a chamber 2 large enough to permit the tires or other cylindrical or like bodies which are to be heated to be easily rolled in and out of the furnace. The latter is made, or lined at least, with firebrick, and is substantially built and bonded together by metal rods and bands. The front of the furnace is open, except as it is closed when in use by a heavy sliding door 3 made of fire-brick and metal, and having a suitable draft opening at near the bottom. Usually the chamber 2 is made about one-third as wide as it is long and high; that is in practice we construct the furnace so that the heating chamber is about two feet wide by six feet long and six feet high. Of course With different classes of work or larger or much smaller tires, the size of the furnace would vary. Manifestly size and material cut no figure as far as the principle of the invention is concerned. The chamber is heated by oil fuel; using the heavy crude petroleum or distillate of commerce and the heating is done by shooting in the oil from one side of the furnace to cause the vapor and flame to strike the opposing wall at a downward incline and spread the flame out radially in all directions within the heating chamber. 5 represents a suitable oil burner for the purpose into which the oil and air or steam, under suitable pressure are delivered from any suitable sources of supply.

The main feature of this invention is really the heating of the tires and like circular bodies inside a closed chamber by oil, and in so directing the flame from the burner that it strikes a blank wall a little below the center of the tire or circular body to be heated and within the space inclosed by the tire or circular body and is spread out in all directions to heat every part of the tire equally.

As the oil is discharged under pressure from 10 to 20 pound, and as the air or steam pressure by which the atomization of the oil is effected, runs from 20 to 40 pounds more or less, a volume of flame is produced which practically fills the entire heating chamber. The flame of course strikes against the refractory opposed wall and is deflected in all directions, and as the natural tendency of the flame and heat is to rise upward, it is desirable to position the burner and tire which latter is represented at 6, so that the heat will first strike the refractory wall against which the tires lean, somewhat below the center of the tire. Actual practice has amply demonstrated that the entire tire will be sheathed in flame and rapidly and equably heated. The waste products of combustion escape through a suitable flue 7 arranged at the top of the furnace. The chamber is made narrow so that the heat and flame is made to ricochet as it rises, and concentrates the heat to most advantage. Owing to the large volume of flame in such a confined space a large draft opening at the bottom of the chamber, as afforded by the opening 4., is essential.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The method of heating wagon tires which comprehends supporting the tire against a refractory wall in a confined space and directing a flame forcibly against the wall and Within the space inclosed by the tire to cause the flame to spread out radially and strike the inside surface of the tire and heat the tire equabiy.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV A. AICHIER. FRANK J. DEMARTINI. Witnesses JOHN TERAZZO, C1L\s. F. GnoUnoUn. 

